DA William Fitzpatrick says Bernie Fine investigation to take several weeks

Syracuse, NY - Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick today said his office's investigation of sex abuse allegations against Syracuse University associate basketball coach Bernie Fine will likely take several weeks to conclude.

Fitzpatrick was asked if he or anyone from his office has yet spoken to Fine, his accusers - step-brothers Bobby Davis and Michael Lang - or head coach Jim Boeheim.

The DA said he would not comment on who had or had not been talked to by his office at this point.

Friday, Fitzpatrick said he planned a full investigation into the accusations against Fine as well as into what was done when Davis previously reported his allegations to the Syracuse Police Department in 2002 and to SU in 2005.

The DA expressed concern Friday that his office had not been notified about either time David had come forward previously with his allegations.

SU officials Friday provided the prosecutor's office a copy of the report its legal counsel prepared after its investigation of Davis' complaints in 2005. That investigation found no evidence to corroborate Davis' claims, SU officials have said.

Fitzpatrick, who was out of town today when contacted by phone, said he had not yet had a chance to review the details of that report to see who was interviewed and what Davis actually reported to SU at the time.

He also said his office had not yet received any reports generated by the city police in 2002 based on Davis' initial contention to authorities that he had been molested by Fine from the time he was 12 or 13 - and a ballboy at SU - to the time he was 28.

Fitzpatrick said he expected to have any police reports from that 2002 encounter between Davis and police in his office Monday.

The allegations against Fine exploded in the national media Thursday after Davis took his story to ESPN and Lang came forward to claim he, too, had been molested by Fine. Lang had denied being molested by Fine when interviewed by The Post-Standard back in 2003 when Davis first shared his allegations with the newspaper.

Both The Post-Standard and ESPN declined to run stories about Davis' allegations at that time because of a lack of any corroboration.

Fine, placed on administrative leave Thursday, issued a brief statement through his lawyer on Friday calling the allegations "patently false."